Review by Booklist Review
In this follow-up to Never Look Back (2014), Detective Inspector Mike Lockyer and his partner, Detective Sergeant Jane Bennett, are attempting to get back to their normal lives after their last, harrowing case. Lockyer has just returned to the force after a brief suspension, and it seems to be just in time a friend of Bennett's has gone missing, and the spattered bloodstains left behind indicate foul play. Days later, the body of a young woman is discovered in an underground tomb that has been rigged with an air tube and a camera, and the detectives quickly uncover a connection between the cases. Donoghue's atmospheric second novel crackles with vivid descriptions and mounting tension. Twists and red herrings abound, as do gruesome descriptions of the crimes. Yet in between the violence, readers get a real sense of who the characters are and what makes them tick. This isn't for the faint of heart, but readers who enjoyed the first novel will be delighted to see this police-procedural series continue.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Donoghue's uneven sequel to 2014's Never Look Back, Sue Leech, a retired cop married to a retired cop, calls Det. Sgt. Jane Bennett to report her husband, Mark, missing. In the ensuing search of the woods around the London borough of Lewisham, police find the body of Maggie Hungerford, a young woman who was buried alive. Jane soon learns that the victim was dating Victor Lebowski, a brilliant psychology professor and Mark's main suspect in a six-year-old rape and murder case. Until his disappearance, Mark obsessively pursued Lebowski, opening Jane and her team to charges of police harassment as they probe his role in Maggie's death and Mark's disappearance. Donoghue adroitly builds suspense, but awkwardly narrated action sequences and an implausible resolution may disappoint some readers. Jane's struggles as a single mother of an autistic child add depth to her character, and the interplay between Jane and her boss, Det. Insp. Mike Lockyear, sets up engaging possibilities for future series installments. Agent: Hellie Ogden, Janklow & Nesbit (U.K.). (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A police detective is stretched to her limits by a baffling case. DS Jane Bennett has had a lot on her plate ever since her boss, DI Mike Lockyer, let himself become too involved in an investigation (Never Look Back, 2014), got shunted into reviewing cold cases, and grew distant and apparently uninterested in his work. When former colleague Mark Leech goes missing, leaving behind only some spattered blood, Jane tries to reassure his desperate wife. Then one of Mark's shoes turns up in Elmstead Woods, and a chance discovery reveals a horrific murder. The searchers find some cables that lead them to an underground cave containing the body of Maggie Hungerford, a university student working on a master's degree in psychology whose parents recently reported her missing. Jane and her team are most interested in Maggie's former boyfriends, arrogant Ph.D. student Terry Mort and Victor Lebowski, a charming tutor at Maggie's university. As Lockyer slowly emerges from his funk and begins to help Jane, research reveals there may be a link to the case that Leech agonized over. Now Jane must find that link if she's to solve what may be a whole series of crimes. A first-rate procedural that builds on the characters in Donoghue's debut and includes a shocking denouement. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
